Questioning

The woman with the shaved head approached Islana holding her gaze. She looked at the young woman with curiosity as one of the guards brought her chair.

She sat opposite Islana.

"How's your arm?" Came the question in her own language that surprised her. Although the accent was thick it was clear.

Maybe, by now hearing her own language shouldn't have surprised Islana considering all the other things that had happened recently, yet it still did.

"It's much better, I believe healed even. Thank you."

There was a tone of untrusting towards the woman. These were the people who killed the guard and hurt Kaithak, no matter how much they had healed her, it didn't change what had happened.

"The bird, the falcon, did you - is he dead?"

Islana could not nor did she want to stop the question, the redhead needed to know.

The woman smiled at the question. "You are one of the Chosen, are you not?"

The Chosen? It was still strange to hear magik referred to that way but Islana understood what was meant by the question.

"Yes, I am." Islana though hadn't gotten an answer. "Please, tell me what happened to the bird."

Her tone was turning more a shade of desperate when it came to Kaithak's welfare.

The woman spoke to the guards in her language. They replied.

"Your bird flew away." She translated. "The Odonine seem to be stocking their ranks with those like you from across the ocean with power." She smiled again.

"What can you tell me of Shalia Nix?" She asked

Islana wasn't sure if she should believe the woman as Kaithak had clearly been injured but it probably wasn't a good idea to try to contact the falcon right now.

The huntress knew very little about what the Odonine were doing or not doing really but the question was about Shalia instead.

Starring at the other woman for a moment Islana asked, "Who are you?"

The answer about Shalia hadn't come but the redhead wasn't even sure she could give the woman that much information. Even if she could it felt like a form of betrayal.

"I'm Amastan of the Sand Horde." She said knowing it would likely not mean much to the young redhead woman.

"We were not expecting you to be with her." She said. "Now answer my question." The smile dropped slightly.

The Amastan of the Sand Horde. Well, that was fancy title which meant nothing to Islana. Nothing except she gathered this might have something to do with the people that lived past here, in the desert. Which meant it had something to do with the man that Shalia was meeting with. It was a strong suspicion, anyway.

"I'm not sure what I can tell you that don't probably know already."

That was the truth and another non-answer though she had seen the woman's smile drop which gave Islana a bad feeling about not giving some kind of a response.

"She is gifted with winter and is Advisor to the War Chieftain."

Well, none of that was likely a secret and frankly the redhead wasn't certain what else the woman wanted to know.

As Islana was speaking, she noticed the two purses with the gold and the jewels were still secured to her outfit. The redhead also still had the scarfs and the waterskin but the provisions, not surprisingly, had been lost.

The woman nodded. "And you? What are you doing here? We did not expect her entourage to have another foreigner nor another Chosen." She said trying to gauge Islana.